Pre-conference Workshop Day

Wednesday 15th April 2015
09:00 - 12:00

This workshop will focus on how membranes can help provide solutions to many issues that affect us all, from stopping power stations releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, to detecting the chemical signals produced by agricultural pests.

No molecules can get through a perfect sheet of graphene but when platelets of graphene are built into more complex structures, highly selective membranes can be generated.

Previous research showed that graphene oxide membranes are highly permeable to water, while being completely impermeable to gases and organic liquids when dry. These membranes will be developed for a variety of applications, such as the removal of water when making biofuels by fermentation, and as components of fuel cells.

In this workshop, you will learn:

The fundamental scientific principles which make graphene membranes a better option over existing incumbents

How graphene membranes can be developed for use in a variety of industrial applications

The roadmap required to take this research from the lab to practical implementation

Workshop Leader
Peter Budd, Professor, University of Manchester

Peter Budd obtained his first degree (chemistry, 1978) and PhD (1981) from the University of Manchester. He spent 8 years as a research chemist at the BP Research Centre, Sunbury-on-Thames, working on polymers and structural materials, returning to Manchester in 1989 as a lecturer. He is now Professor of Polymer Chemistry and is the Director of Research within the School.